New OO gauge Class 73

[metropolitan cammell]

I have had a good look at the the pcb and cab lights on mine, the cab lights are separately feed from the pcb, so what I have done is cut the pcb tracks going to the resistors for the cab lights on the pcb to isolate them from the track supply and soldered connections to aux1 and aux2 on the 21 pin socket.

[SRman]

That's what i was hoping to be able to do with mine when it arrives. Could you post a pic of the cuts and connections you made, please, mc? Pretty please?

[sharpshooter]

Ref the cab light mods, I would also be grateful of a photo/info before I attempt butchery of my Large Logo example....thanks

[37501]

The buffers on mine are pointing at weird angles too - as you highlight some are pointing slightly upwards and one on my model is pointing inwards as well.  Looking at the model more closely and to my eye it appears as though the buffer shanks have not been glued in straight.  I can't imagine being able to remove the shanks without destroying them, so I guess it would mean replacement with turned brass buffers?  Again though, not really something we should have to be doing...

 

 

 

Agreed, sitting in front of the Rail Blue model here and I have similar mixed feelings.  The Rail Blue is just strange, under artificial light there is definitely a purple appearance to it and also appears far too vivid in any light, to my eye at least.  Perhaps not fair to compare to another manufacturer's efforts, but when placing the model next to Hornby and Bachmann examples of Rail Blue and it becomes quite apparent that something is far from correct.  The yellow too is glaring lemon.  Sitting the model next to other Rail Blue examples and there is definitely a feeling that there is a glow-stick in the room! 

 

When all is said and done it doesn't capture that familiar drab rail blue look that even Hornby and Bachmann seem to manage with a straight, unweathered out of the box example. 

 

Add to this the buffers, which really are beginning to annoy me, and I regrettably feel that this model will be heading back to Hatton's also on Monday. 

 

This is truly disappointing, this has been the model I have been looking forward to all year, but alas if the liveries aren't right in this way then there seems little point in holding onto it.  I have two other pre-orders which I've now decided to cancel - the second Rail Blue example (as no doubt this will be in the same strange shades as the first); and also the Dutch liveried example, as the roof is clearly the wrong shade of grey, being far too light...

 

In summary, a great model with some lovely detailing, but severely let down by what seems to be an alarming and increasing number of livery errors on most examples produced.

 

Maybe it would have been preferable to concentrate on initially producing a smaller selection of liveries, but with a view to actually getting them right?

Several years ago my Bachmann 37501 arrived with one buffer pointing upwards at an angle. It was the red buffer sleeve which was at fault. I contacted Bachmann who sent me a complete sleeve, buffer and spring. the repair involved removal of the metal parts and cutting off the plastic sleeve with an Exacto saw. The replacement sleeve was glued in place and touched up with paint. Not a complicated fix but annoying that it was required in the first place. Still contemplating The Large Logo Blue 73105...

 

John

[Francis deWeck]

Update to post #751 Re poor running and decoder issues.

 

As other people on here using DCC were having no issues with performance when running their loco's I thought I would swap out the Lenz Silver decoder I was using. I had a Hatton's, Gaugemaster and Bachmann 21 pin decoder. I put one in each of the three loco's and each one worked perfectly. So, the loco did not like the Lenz Silver decoder. All of which if fine if you accept that you are running the loco's with the decoder inserted upside down. The circuit board on the loco has an incorrect DCC interface.Pin 11 is present when it should be missing and pin 12 is missing when it should be present. It seems the Lenz Silver decoder is affected by being inserted upside down resulting in the poor running. In my opinion this is all linked to the lighting issue both directional and cab lighting. As Red Fox states in post #764 'Way back when the model was announced it was planned to have PluX22 socket but it was changed during the development process. PluX seems to have sunk without a trace in the UK market' I believe that following this decision to change to a 21 pin decoder the DCC interface was changed but the circuit board was not. I do not know enough about DCC but in my view there is a link between the incorrect DCC interface, the circuit board and the various lighting issues (cab switchability and directional). Mark 

I'm glad I found this one. I tried telling Dapol that the decoder interface was incorrect when I bought my second Class 22; the first one had the correct configuration. Simply put, the lights will not function correctly when the plug is facing the wrong way, which is the effect of the incorrect interface config. CV changes don't seem to work for this unit that I have got, and to boot, screw up the decoder, requiring a reset to default - not that that is a big problem.

 

The loco I have is fine, except for this problem, and a slightly concave middle section of its sides.

[black and decker boy]

Posted on WNXX by one of the owners of 73003:

 

As an aside, I see Dapol have brought out a model of 003. One problem straight away, they modelled it with a Merseyrail modified exhaust port on the roof. 003 and 004 never received those, 003 remained serviceable on the old Southern Region.

 

Anyone able to confirm this?

[Tim Hall]

Well I've now seen some in "the flesh" and have to say the executive liveried one looks awful. Far too black and white.

The large logo one was in a cabinet close to a blue Dapol 22 and a Heljan 27. What a selection of shades! The blue on the large logo one does look purple and dark, the Heljan 27 ok, and the 22 a faded, less intense blue (which looks ok to me for a worn loco).

E6003 looks v good, but not 3x better than my Hornby one (bought for £40), and which I've recently fitted with oval buffers.

[metropolitan cammell]

Quick summery, cut pcb track to r1, cut track between r1 and r2, add wire from aux 1 on decoder socket to r1 resistor, add wire from aux 2 on decoder socket to r2 resistor.

 

[cambo74]

Well 73121 Croydon is finished - very happy with it !

 

 

Ben

Oh yes I have a wiper to put back on ....

[Shedmaster]

Good Evening,

 

Have I missed something or shouldn't the Gaugemaster Pullman versions be here by the end of November 15 ?

 

(Yes, yes, I know my Stewarts Lane building still isn't ready for them yet  )

 

Many Thanks for any updates,

 

Kindest Regards,

 

Shed.

[JSpencer]

I phoned up gout' master on Wednesday and they ain't in yet.

[JSpencer]

I bought two of these locos but I am sending them back to the seller as they were dreadful runners. One loco kept cutting out -  the decoder kept going dead and needed regular re-programming. It also ran erratically as did the other one. I wonder if having to put in the decoder upside down makes a contribution to this. It cant be a good thing. Im not convinced that it offers a good connection.

 

The lights being incapable of switching according to the direction of travel is a pretty basic fault, even if sorted out by changing the CVs. Not something we should accept at @£120 a time.

 

As for the cab interior being permanently lit, its totally odd. Dapol told me when I called them that the head of the project had specified that they should stay on. I cant think why they would.

 

The paintwork is odd when you take a closer look on both the IC and BR Blue versions, the ones I bought.

 

I'm very disappointed. This should be a flagship model. I only hope Dapol can correct these faults and produce a new batch that is worthy of the anticipation created by this model. I would still buy them in future if there was some certainty that they would work well and look right.

I suspect the head of the project is learning a big lesson right now. ".... Make sure you use the same arrangement as the class 52 Western....".

Mind you, they are not alone with DCC chips going AWOL, a certain radial is showing a similar trait. Glad I decided not to sound fit a 73 right away.

[meld]

Met Cam posted how to fix the PCB for the cab lights to be switchable via DCC.

 

Whilst I find this admirable and thank him for his work why should we be doing this sort of thing to a brand new model?

 

Dapol seemed to have taken a massive retrograde step with the PCB in this brand new release and I really feel that the very least they should be saying that they are going to correct the PCB and either accept models returned for FOC replacement of the PCB or for those who feel confident enough dispatch replacement PCB's to customers for them to replace themselves.

 

TBPH, that's two pretty basic faults with the PCB now and it's time for them to stop messing about and admit the error and offer the replacement to their customers.

 

My thoughts alone written down, but not just my thinking I suspect.

 

MC

[Gwiwer]

Hobby Shop's limited edition E6007 (blue, syp, sole bar stripe, no logo) has arrived here.  No. 14 of 150.

 

On my DC layout it runs perfectly well though in full daylight it's impossible to see the effects of any internal lighting.  Strong sunlight shows the blue to be very different from a Bachmann 47 posed alongside for comparison though as I recall the 73s in this livery weren't exactly "Rail Blue".  The 47 is also weathered but in strong sunlight the 73, which here is straight from the box, does appear to have a bit of purple in that livery.

 

 

However if we move into a shaded area, still lit naturally but out of direct sun, the 73 alone looks both a different shade of blue and quite reasonable to me.  Detail pack yet to be added, handrail visibly out of line and I'll weather it once it's fully run-in as well, though not too heavily as it's a very short-run limited edition and I tend to keep weathering on those to the minimum.

 

 

Edited December 15, 2015 by Gwiwer

[SRman]

Mine also arrived today from Faversham. It is currently sitting on the rollers being run in on DC, before any thought of fitting a decoder.

I found one rather odd fault on mine. One of the brake shoe links was hanging a bit low. On closer inspection, the factory has fitted two left-hand right-hand shoes to the bar, where there should be one left and one right. Rather than send the whole model back, after ascertaining it ran as it should, I decided to do a little hacking. I carefully removed the brake assembly and twisted the offending shoe off its spigot, drilled it out slightly to clear the glue out, then reversed it and superglued it back again. While the detail is really on the wrong side, it barely shows and won't in normal service anyway.

I will contact Dapol and the Hobby Shop and let them know of the error, with the hope that they may be able to supply the correct bits. If they can't (or won't) then it's not an obvious fudge.

As for the blue, I think it looks OK on this livery variant.

One other comment I will make (favourable, this time!) is that the framework behind the centre grilles is nicely done. It doesn't seem to show up in most of the photos shown so far, but it is there.

 

Edited to correct the 'direction' of the brake shoes referred to.

Edited December 15, 2015 by SRman

[Gwiwer]

I haven't inspected mine close as yet though one tiny part was loose in the box and needs to be identified and re-fitted.  If there's anything else amiss I'll post here in due course.  Suffice to say that any problems with the locomotive assembly and operation are not the fault nor within the control of the commissioning retailer whose service has been excellent on this my first visit to their website.

[SRman]

I have posed my Lima early blue one, E6012 against E6007, and the blues are quite different. I still maintain that it doesn't look wrong on E6007, although the shade of yellow on the warning panel is definitely too lemony, as has been mentioned for some of the other liveries.

While the model is very nice, I feel there are just too many niggles to make me buy another, unless Dapol lift their game a bit.

Edited to fix my usual dyslexic typing errors and to add the photo.

Edited December 15, 2015 by SRman

[Gwiwer]

The shade of yellow on the warnign panel is definitely too lemony, as has been mentioned for some of the other liveries.

 

While the model is very nice, I feel there are just too many niggles to make me buy another, unless Dapol lift their game a bit.

 

I'm hoping to sneak the lemon down a shade or two with careful application of weathering powders.  Carrs Yellow, sand and light earth all mixed is a possibility.

 

Is the blue on E6007 the same as on the other blue ones?  If so I may be in the same position as Jeff in not bothering with another as the original intention was to only take one and that would have been E6039.  I don't have a layout to run my SR collection on so two "plinthed" 73s would be a luxury.  I'll think about E6039 only if someone can convince me the blue is more or less correct.

[TheHobbyShop]

Mine also arrived today from Faversham. It is currently sitting on the rollers being run in on DC, before any thought of fitting a decoder.

 

I found one rather odd fault on mine. One of the brake shoe links was hanging a bit low. On closer inspection, the factory has fitted two left-hand shoes to the bar, where there should be one left and one right. Rather than send the whole model back, after ascertaining it ran as it should, I decided to do a little hacking. I carefully removed the brake assembly and twisted the offending shoe off its spigot, drilled it out slightly to clear the glue out, then reversed it and superglued it back again. While the detail is really on the wrong side, it barely shows and won't in normal service anyway.

 

I will contact Dapol and the Hobby Shop and let them know of the error, with the hope that they may be able to supply the correct bits. If they can't (or won't) then it's not an obvious fudge.

 

As for the blue, I think it looks OK on this livery variant.

 

One other comment I will make (favourable, this time!) is that the framework behind the centre grilles is nicely done. It doesn't seem to show up in most of the photos shown so far, but it is there.

Sorry to hear this. If you could let us have a picture of the faulty part we can send one to you. (Pls also advise your order number)

[Wibble]

It's sad to see so many poor comments regarding Dapol's latest model to the market. The good thing about forums such as this means you can make an informed choice if you decide to purchase. This is one attempt at customising my purple example, and hopefully it looks like something from the early 1970s. Converted to EM gauge with ease, but the electrical pick-up system is going to cause a few headaches in due course. I've fitted brass wire pick-ups onto the back of the solid brass wheels. There are apparently supposed to be a couple of small pods on the roof, and no doubt a few other small details which I've missed, but that's just about it.  

[letterspider]

It's sad to see so many poor comments regarding Dapol's latest model to the market. The good thing about forums such as this means you can make an informed choice if you decide to purchase. This is one attempt at customising my purple example, and hopefully it looks like something from the early 1970s. Converted to EM gauge with ease, but the electrical pick-up system is going to cause a few headaches in due course. I've fitted brass wire pick-ups onto the back of the solid brass wheels. There are apparently supposed to be a couple of small pods on the roof, and no doubt a few other small details which I've missed, but that's just about it.  

Looks good, what shades did you use for weathering?

[Wibble]

I don't really know - just picked the nearest shade from the paint box whilst looking at an image of the real thing.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Re the roof.

 

 

Mike.

[Mike Storey]

I don't really know - just picked the nearest shade from the paint box whilst looking at an image of the real thing.

 

So you have just weathered, not re-sprayed a different blue? If so, that bodes extremely well. Looks bang on.

[Wibble]

I wouldn't like to mislead anyone, and don't think even the best weathering would disguise Dapol's choice of colour...... although I'd be happy to be corrected. The body was resprayed with a Howes BR blue rattle can last week, and featured a few pages back. Sorry for the lack of clarification, the shades just referred to the finishing and weathering using Humbrol enamels.